The Road Beyond
by HoodiniDXD
Summary: The Division. The group saved for the most serious of emergencies. With the fall of New York thanks to the Green Flu, numerous agents have been activated. That includes Ryan Smith. With his partner, Faye Lau, together they will attempt to take back Manhattan. Could go up to M rating later on.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Division. The Division is owned by Ubisoft.**

 **~TRB~**

 **One Week after the Green Flu Virus Outbreak**

If there was no example of Hell on Earth beforehand, people would start using New York as that example. With the Green Flu came trouble, and trouble did not hold back. Looters, rioters, murderers. These people were running through the streets, with no one to stop them. Innocent people were dying. Bodies littered the street. There was no order.

That's where the Division comes in.

 **~TRB~**

Ryan Smith, a 20 year old Asian man, just out of his teens, roamed the streets of Brooklyn. He thought himself to be pretty average. Good grades, somewhat athletic, and a love for video games.

So imagine his surprise when he was drafted into the Division.

Weeks of training left him prepared for most, but nothing could have prepared him for the panic and chaos that followed the GF.

 _Thank god Mom and Dad aren't here. I don't know what I'd do if they…_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard ISAC.

 **Alert! Agent Faye Lau calling…**

He answered, hearing the voice of his partner.

"Hey Ryan! Where are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"

He sighed.

"Ran into some trouble."

"Get over here now. We've got a situation."

He cursed under his breath. "On my way."

 **~TRB~**

"There you are!"

Faye Lau. She was Ryan's partner, his back-up, his partner in crime.

She was also an old friend. She was currently checking over him.

"Jeez Faye, calm down! I'm alright."

She pushed him back.

"Sorry for worrying! It's not like I care if you get shot or something!"

He sighed, for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

"Sorry, sorry. After the morphine problem, I just want to get some sleep."

She nodded along with him.

"I feel you. Still, at least we have each other, right?"

He patted her shoulder.

"Yeah. Thank god. I'd be bored out of my mind without you."

She grinned.

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we've got another problem. The precinct's been overrun by rioters."

"Damn. If we lose that-"

"We won't be able to go into Manhattan."

Ryan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

"You alright?"

He nodded.

"I just wish I was never drafted."

 **~TRB~**

He fired.

He ran forward, and hid behind an abandoned car.

 _Make it to the underground parking, and work from there. Come on Ryan, the hostages are counting on you!_

"Ryan, you've got back-up on the way."

"Best news I've heard all week!"

He pushed forward, firing at any rioter he saw.

After a grueling half hour, he made it into the precinct.

"HEY! WE'RE IN HERE!"

He rushed into the holding cells. There they were.

"Oh thank god! We thought it was over when they rushed in."

Ryan grinned. He rushed over to the terminal, and let out the JTF soldiers.

"Good job out there. Head on back, they're picking us up in a couple of minutes."

"What we've been waiting for, eh?"

"Yep! It's time to take back Manhattan!"

 **~TRB~**

Ryan walked onto the heli-pad. He brought his hand up to his mouth the stifle a yawn.

"Tired?"

He turned around to see Faye. He nodded.

"The first thing I'm gonna do once we get in that chopper is sleep. There's not gonna be much time to rest once we get there."

She nodded. It was quiet for a little while.

"After we take back this city, I'm buying you a beer."

He smirked.

"Thought you didn't drink?"

She shook her head, smiling the whole time.

"In times like this, sometimes the only good thing you'll have is alcohol."

He had to agree with that.

They heard a noise, and they looked up. The chopper had arrived.

They turned to each other, and grinned.

"Here we go."

Faye opened her mouth to reply.

Only for an explosion to cut her off.

Ryan was thrown off his feet, and before he knew anything, he blacked out.

 **~TRB~**

… _come on…wake up… I need you!_

… _lost cause…commander's dead…_

… _don't leave me!_

Ryan's eyes snapped open. He gasped for air.

"FUCK!"

He sat up. The first thing he noticed was the fact that he was in a chopper. The events of what happened rushed back to him. He tried looking around, before he noticed something.

He couldn't see out of one of his eyes.

His shock of losing one of his eyes was quickly forgotten when Faye engulfed him in a hug.

"I thought you were gone!"

He squeezed back, before smiling.

"You aren't getting rid of me that easily. You think I'd leave after a good 10 years of being friends with you?"

She pulled back. That's when he saw the bandages wrapped around her leg, and her right eye.

"I'm out of the fight for now, it seems. Looks like I'm not gonna have your back."

She seemed down, so Ryan proceeded to try and cheer her up.

"Well, at least we'll be able to match if we ever do Twin Day again."

She smiled at that, and Ryan mentally patted himself on the back.

"…we have eyes on Hudson."

Ryan tuned into what the pilot was saying.

"Got two Division agents on board. That explosion was their ride in."

Ryan turned to Faye.

"Looks like it's just us two for now."

She nodded quietly.

 **~TRB~**

"Good luck! You're gonna need it!"

After helping Faye get off the chopper, Ryan rushed ahead towards the camp.

 _Alright_ , _time to load up and head over to the command center._

He quietly walked through the streets of Manhattan, listening to the uncomfortable silence. He walked passed numerous civilians, all seeming jumpy and paranoid.

His radio piped up.

"To any JTF soldiers, head to the Command Center! Rioters are outside and are trying to get in! I say again, we need back up."

 _Of-fucking-course. Let's move._

He was just around the corner, when he heard ISAC.

 **Warning! Numerous hostiles detected!**

 _At least they don't know I'm here._

He ducked under a barricade, before counting up the number of rioters.

He aimed at one of the heads, and fired.

"Shit! Behind us!"

Caught in between half a dozen JTF soldiers and a Division agent, the rioters quickly dispersed, with stragglers being killed in their wake.

He rushed into the building, to see the alarmingly few JTF soldiers inside.

"Is everyone alright?"

He received a couple of nods in reply. He relaxed, before finding a chair and laying his head on a table.

He stayed like this for a while, thinking about numerous things, before he felt a hand on his back. He looked up to see Faye.

He quickly jumped up to help her, before finding another chair and sitting with her.

"You alright?"

She nodded slowly.

"I won't be able to do much till my leg heals up. Doc said it would take around two weeks before I could head back out."

Ryan's shoulders sagged. He'd been waiting to work with Faye for a while now, since they finally got each other as permanent partners.

"Well, at least you'll be able to keep me company through comms."

She seemed to straighten up in her seat.

"Yep! So get out there Ryan! We've got a lot of work to do!"

He grinned.

"Yes we do."

 **~TRB~**

 **And I'm back, with a new story! The reason why TCCD hasn't been updated in around six months is due to numerous reasons.**

 **Me being busy.**

 **Me being lazy.**

 **Me losing all the progress due to a virus.**

 **TCCD won't be updated for a while, but for now, you'll have this story. I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you guys in the next chappie!**

 **-MrDerper**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Division**

 **~TRB~**

Ryan stepped back out into the snow-covered streets of Manhattan. He pulled his scarf tighter around his neck, not wanting to feel the biting cold against his skin. He heard Faye's voice come alive over comms.

"Why'd it have to be winter, right?"

He laughed. "That's right. You never liked snow."

She grumbled.

"It's not my fault I hate the cold."

Ryan sobered up. He had things to do, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't be easy.

"So, what's first on our list of things to do?"

"Well, if you look to your right, you'll see that the JTF are mounting an assault on Madison Square."

He looked, and sure enough, they were setting charges on the door.

"Madison was turned into a field hospital and now a bunch of rioters are holding the doctors hostage. Those doctors are important. None more important than Doctor Jessica Kandel. Without her, we won't be able to get our Medical Wing up and running."

He nodded, before jogging over to the entrance.

 **~TRB~**

"3, 2, 1…"

The door was blasted open, and a squadron of JTF stormed in, with Ryan following closely behind.

"Alright, we've got an agent with us, so this should be a piece of cake!"

The soldiers grinned and laughed.

Ryan smirked back.

 _At least I can raise morale._

"Alright. Let's move!"

They flooded into the lobby. The rioters seemed to set up some sort of defense.

They opened fire. Two JTF soldiers went down.

"Shit, John and Kingsley are down!"

The rest of the soldiers ran for cover, with Ryan leading.

Ryan peeked over the banister he was hiding behind, and returned fire.

One by one, the rioters fell. Ryan was in the middle of moving between cover, when all of a sudden, a rioter jumped out and managed to put a bullet in Ryan's shoulder.

"SHIT!"

A JTF soldier finished off the rioter, as Ryan was patching himself up.

He heard Faye's panicked voice through his headset.

"Are you alright?! Your heart rate monitor spiked!"

Ryan panted.

"Yeah. Bullet went straight through. My shoulder is gonna be hurting like a bitch for a while, but other than that, I'm just peachy."

A sigh of relief was heard over the headset.

"Thank god."

Ryan grinned.

"The Security Room is up ahead. I'll patch you in."

He ran up to the keyboard, punched a few commands in, and waited for Faye's reply.

"I'm in."

Ryan grinned and waved at one of the cameras. He heard a chuckle from over his headset.

"Alright, now back to business. It seems that the only reason that Kandel and her team are only alive because the rioters need them to heal their wounded. They're currently upstairs. Get a move on Ryan!"

They moved forward, into the where the main area was. The rioters had not noticed they were in the area yet. That left them with the element of surprise. Ryan threw a grenade in the middle of the crowd, and the firefight began.

"Agent, look out!"

Ryan got pushed out of the way, and a JTF soldier to a bullet to the head right where he stood.

 _Fuck! Gotta pay more attention, lest more people die._

He jumped up, and took out another two rioters.

"More coming in from the stands!"

Three soldiers aimed and fired towards the stands, cutting off any reinforcements from reaching the remaining rioters.

"Finish them off!"

The final rioter was taken out, and they headed into the elevator, towards the hostages.

 **~TRB~**

The elevator doors opened, and one by one, they filed out. They could hear Jessica and a rioter arguing ahead. Ryan turned to the remaining JTF soldiers and out a finger up to his mouth.

"Stay quiet. We'll have a better chance at taking them out without injuring one of the doctors."

The soldiers nodded, and together, they began to crouch towards the bar.

"You're hurting him! You're supposed to be helping him!"

"Listen you idiot, the bullet is stuck in his chest. So unless you want your friend to bleed out from the inside, let me work!"

 _I like her already._

They were all in position. Ryan held up his hand. One by one, he put his fingers down until he put down the last one.

Then, they opened fire. The thugs and rioters stood no chance, the bullets tearing through any armor they could have worn.

Ryan rushed towards the doctors, making sure all of them were alright.

"You're a Division agent, eh? Well, you're a sight for sore eyes."

Ryan nodded at Jessica's question. A JTF officer ran up, telling the doctors to follow behind him.

Ryan signaled to the rest of the soldiers, and they started heading towards the roof.

 **~TRB~**

"Ryan! The escort team is pinned down! You need to take them out, or the doctors won't make it!"

"Got it Faye! We'll be back shortly!"

He turned to the remaining soldiers. Out of the thirteen man squadron, only five stood before him.

"Alright guys. This is it. There's a team of rioters up here, making it so the doctors can't make it into the base. We take them out, we can go back home."

The group wearily, but happily nodded their heads. There would be time to rest and mourn after. They rushed onto the roof, to see a group of ten rioters firing towards the street. Ryan immediately singled out the leader. He had quite a lot of armor on.

 _Nothing a grenade can't fix._

He tossed one over towards the group, and saw four of the rioters go sailing off the roof onto the unforgiving streets below. The remaining six were hurt, but could still fight.

The leader turned around, and hefted an MG onto the railing.

"Oh shit! TAKE COVER!"

Bullets flew towards Ryan and the JTF. Three fell to the onslaught, the remaining two managing to make it to cover.

 _Damn it! We gotta take that guy out quickly. He'll wipe us out if we take too long!_

Ryan peeked around the corner to see two thugs rushing him with baseball bats. His eyes widened, before both were cut down. He turned around to see his teammate head back behind cover.

 _Four left, including "MG."_

He managed to get an angle on MG. His grenade managed to rip off most of his armor. With his head exposed, a well-placed shot could take him out.

 _If only I had a sniper._

He scanned around. It seemed that the remaining three rioters were either dead, or ran. He turned around to see the status of his men, before realizing…

He was the only one left.

With ammo running low, Ryan only saw one option. He just needed to wait for the opening.

There!

While MG was pre-occupied, Ryan sprinted forward. He saw MG frantically reloading. Ryan vaulted over the banister, kicked MG to the ground and pushed his pistol into his skull.

 **BANG!**

It was over. Ryan stumbled and fell backwards onto the ground. He was tired. But his mission was done.

"..an! Ryan! Are you alright? Ryan!"

"Yeah, Faye?"

"What the hell was that? Are you insane? What if you didn't make it in time? You could have di-"

"Faye?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

 **~TRB~**

Ryan slowly walked back into the base. He realized that he had a lot more injuries that he thought on the short walk back. He thought about all the soldiers he lost. Men and women with families. With friends. He nearly broke down on the walk back.

Faye looked up from her laptop to see Ryan walk in, on the cusp of crying. She rushed to him, which wasn't that fast due to her leg, but once she got to him, she engulfed him into a hug. He hugged her back, tearing up and burying his head in her hair. The various JTF soldiers around shared their sorrow.

Faye led Ryan over to the beds. They laid on opposite beds, and they talked quietly.

"They're all gone, Faye. They're all gone, and I'm still here."

"Aren't you happy that you're fine?"

He shook his head.

"I could have at least brought one or two of them back."

He started to cry.

"Why did I get out of that? Why me? Why only me?"

Faye got off her bed and kneeled next to Ryan's bed. She entwined her hand with his.

"Listen to me Ryan. Those men and women went out there to fight for the city. They knew the risks. Those guys out there? They're worried about you."

She ran her hand through her hair.

"We're just entering our second decade of our lives. I haven't even seen what's out there. The closest I've gotten to a real battle is seeing you fight over security cameras."

She laid her head on his chest.

"We've been friends for about ten years. I'm worried, Ryan. About what this place is going to do to you. About what it's gonna do to us."

She felt Ryan wrap his arms around her. She looked up. His eyes were closed.

"Thank you Faye. Thank you for everything."

The lights in the facility were turning off for the night. Even thugs and rioters had to sleep.

"Stay with me, Faye. I don't think I can be alone. Not after today."

She nodded, and together, in the midst of a chaotic New York, the two friends drifted off to sleep.

They wouldn't wake until the next afternoon.

 **~TRB~**

 **There's another chappie down! Now, if you haven't noticed by now, Faye is pretty OOC, and they're younger (I think) than the agents are in the game. It's for story purposes, trust me. Also, I'm probably going to put a poll up to see if Faye and Ryan get together. Not sure just yet. If I can't decide by chapter seven, I'll put the poll up. I'm on a roll with this story!**

 **Oh yeah, Faye will eventually go out with Ryan on his adventures through Manhattan. That will be after the Subway Morgue mission, which will take place a week after this chapter happens. Till then, see you in the next chappie!**

 **-MrDerper**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Division. The Division is owned by Ubisoft.**

 **~TRB~**

 **Several Days after the Madison Square Field Hospital Raid**

"Faye, the hostages are out. They should be heading back with more medical supplies."

He heard clapping come from over his headset.

"Well done Ryan, and in record time as well! Come on back, Jessica wants to speak with you."

He nodded quietly. From where he was, he'd be back within five minutes. So he decided to take it slow.

Walking down the streets of a quiet Manhattan disheartened Ryan. He never liked the quiet, and he always hated being alone. His hatred grew after the long minutes alone on the Madison rooftop.

 _God, I can't wait till Faye's leg heals up. Thank goodness it wasn't broken._

It would be one more week till she would be able to head out with him, and needless to say, Ryan was counting the minutes.

"Ryan? Got a report of a scuffle near your area. Could you check it out before you get here?"

"Got it."

 **~TRB~**

Ryan arrived on scene to see an armed civilian and a few rioters fighting for food.

 _Should be simple enough. Eliminate the rioters, and get the food to the civilians._

Unfortunately, Murphy's Law came into effect.

Out from an alleyway, flames shot out and caught the rioters, and Ryan, by surprise.

"What the hell?!"

The civilian ran, and just in time too, due to a new group coming out of the alley.

"Faye, who the hell are these people?! They've got flamethrowers and shit!"

"The Cleaners are here? What are they doing so close to the base? Take them out!"

Ryan leaned behind a box truck. He leaned out to see one of the Cleaners lob a Molotov towards him. He quickly rolled out and hid behind a taxi.

 _How the fuck am I supposed to take them out?_

He looked towards the group. The flamethrower Cleaner was in the middle of the packed group.

 _Here goes nothing._

Ryan jumped up from his cover, and sprayed towards the Cleaners pack. He saw a flame shoot out from the pack. The Cleaners panicked, but were too slow.

 **BOOM!**

"Ryan! What the hell was that explosion!? We heard it from here!"

He gasped for air. That explosion knocked him off his feet.

"Ryan! Are you okay?"

"Yeah….yeah. I shot the gas tank on the Cleaner's back. They're done."

"Alright. Head on back."

 **~TRB~**

"Jesus, you look like shit."

"I didn't notice, Jess."

Jessica came from around her desk. The day after the raid, Jessica couldn't thank him enough for getting them out. She was sure that they weren't gonna make it out of that situation.

"Thanks for sending those hostages over. With the Clinic up and running, we're able to send them out pretty quickly."

Ryan nodded in reply. "How's Faye? I haven't been around here for a while."

Jessica walked into a room, and signaled Ryan to follow her. Jessica sighed and leaned against one of the many beds in the room.

"Her leg is healing just fine. She should be ready to go by next week. She's lucky that the explosion in Brooklyn didn't fuck up her leg any more than it did."

Ryan let out a sigh of relief. He grabbed a water bottle from his pack and began to drink.

"So when are you gonna ask her out?"

His eyes widened, and he did the most glorious spit take Jessica had ever seen.

"What *cough* are you *cough* talking about!?"

Ryan cleared his throat numerous times, and Jessica waited for him to finish.

"Are you kidding? I saw you two that night, cuddled up in that cot. I'd be crazy if I thought you didn't have feelings for her."

His mind wandered back to that night. It was an uncomfortable morning after, with some of the more rowdy JTF soldiers shooting both of them smirks and looks. But the night itself. He had to admit, falling asleep with Faye by his side felt amazing.

"I-I don't know. The idea of 'not getting attached' was drilled into us during training. I don't know if I can."

Jessica walked over, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Well at least think about it Ryan. You're still twenty. In my opinion, you're too young to be here. You should be enjoying life, not struggling to survive. Faye is the closest thing you have to having some shred of normality in this fucked up city."

She walked out, leaving Ryan alone with his thoughts.

 **~TRB~**

Ryan pulled up a chair and sat down at Faye's temporary station. She leaned her head against her hands.

"What's the status on my leg? Am I good to go soon?"

Ryan smiled. "Give or take a day, it should be another week."

He saw Faye do a fist pump into the air, and he laughed. It was nice seeing her so excited.

"I'll finally have your back, eh?"

He nodded. The soldiers around them were cheered up from seeing the two talk and laugh again. It had been a quiet couple of days since the raid.

"Hey, Agent!"

Ryan turned around, to see a squadron of JTF.

"Our technician, Rhodes, is trapped over down in the subway. We're gonna get him out. We'll need your help."

He turned over to Faye. She reached for his hand, and squeezed it. She nodded, and signaled for him to go. He turned around.

"Alright. Let's move out!"

 **~TRB~**

"Alright, I've got camera control. We've got Cleaners throughout the subway. You're gonna have to fight through."

 _Crap. Alright. Let's play this safe._

"We'll move through slowly. I don't want to lose any of you on the way there, alright?"

An affirmative was heard throughout the group.

They moved down the steps, and Ryan's senses were assaulted by the smell of smoke.

He heard a JTF soldier to his right. "Holy shit, they're burning bodies down there!"

Sure enough, he looked over the edge, and saw the burning mass grave. He put his hand over his mouth to keep from throwing up.

"Let's move."

The further down they moved, the more eerie it became. Where were the Cleaners?

 **Alert! Contaminated Area ahead!**

He signaled to the others. They all put their masks on.

 _There's the generator. Let's turn it on._

He heard the generator power on, and heard Rhodes over his headset.

"Whoever turned that on, you're either JTF, or really fucking lost. Either way, thanks."

"This is Faye Lau. We've got a squadron and a Division agent on the way."

A groan was heard. "Division? Didn't know I was worth that much."

"Well, it's your lucky day then."

"Careful down here. Contamination Areas are everywhere. Once you see the bodies, put your masks on. Unless you want to die, that is."

They pushed towards the different stations, with no opposition. The JTF soldiers relaxed, thinking that the Cleaners had left. Ryan however, was still ready.

Then it happened.

A flame shot from behind a generator, nearly taking out Ryan. He quickly backed up, frantically patting down any flames on his clothes. Ryan shot towards the source of the flame, and quickly dispatched the hiding Cleaner.

"Get to cover! It's an ambush!"

The JTF soldiers rushed back, and from the catwalks above, dropped numerous Cleaners, equipped with flamethrowers and DIY riot shields.

They slowly but surely pushed towards the JTF. Ryan quickly rushed to the fallen Cleaner's weapon, and turned the flamethrower on the advancing members.

It seemed to set off a chain reaction, with the men with packs detonating and the riot shielders rushing forward, with nothing left to lose. One of them knocked down a JTF soldier, and a quick axe swing ended his life. The others turned and opened fire, and the riot shields quickly broke, and with nothing left for cover, the remaining Cleaners were taken out.

"Fuck. Allen's gone."

Ryan turned to the two soldiers nearest to their fallen ally.

"Cover his body. We'll come back for it after. We'll give him a proper burial."

They nodded, and after their task, continued forward.

 **~TRB~**

"Testing, test-Jesus this thing is loud!"

A few of the soldiers let out a laugh in response. They had made it through, and they had found Rhodes.

"You good to go?"

Ryan's question was drowned out by the sound of the generators powering down.

"Well, in order to reroute the power to the base, we've got to reboot the generators."

He heard Rhodes mutter under his breath. Something about the generators being a bitch to re-power.

"It's gonna be dark for a little while. Just sit tight."

Ryan took a seat on the stairs, deciding to call Faye. He wanted to talk to her.

 **Dialing… Connected!**

"Hey Ryan! What's up?"

"We're almost done here. Rhodes just has to reroute the power and we'll head back."

"How about the guys? Everyone good?"

"We lost one. Allen. Once we get out, I'll call in an extraction team. His body's covered near the entrance."

"Shit. How are you holding up?"

He sighed. "I feel like shit, but other than a few burns, I'm fine."

"Well, when you get back, I've got something to show you. Hopefully it'll cheer you up."

"Can't wai-"

"Shit, we've got Cleaners coming in!"

Ryan's head snapped up. He looked towards the elevator to see this hulking behemoth walk out, with gas canisters and body armor all over.

"Ryan? What's going on?!"

Ryan's reply was cut off when he had to jump off the staircase to avoid a blast from a flamethrower.

"Agent! You good?"

He looked up to see his squadron on the other side of the room near Rhodes.

"Yeah! Take out any stragglers. He's mine!"

He pulled up his rifle and fired at the numerous gas canisters hanging from the newly dubbed "BFG."

He ducked behind cover, to hear an explosion. He looked over…

Only to see BFG angrily fire towards him.

His eyes widened as he rolled away.

 _How is he still alive after that?!_

He continued firing at any body part that he could, slowly chipping away at any armor BFG was wearing. The JTF had finished off most of the Cleaners, and were keeping the rest from interrupting the fight between Ryan and BFG.

"Ryan! Get out of there already!"

 _Oh yeah…Faye's still on the call._

"If we leave now, he'll be able to wreak havoc on other JTF Faye! Let me finish this!"

He rolled to avoid another flame.

Only to land next to an explosive barrel.

He quickly realized where he was, so did BFG.

 _No way out. Time for a Hail Mary._

He sprayed blindly towards BFG, with a bullet catching him in the head. BFG's finger twitched and it fired.

It hit the barrel, and it detonated. Ryan saw only white, felt blinding pain, and his vision went black.

 **~TRB~**

… _get him on the table…._

 _..yan…I told you…..please…._

… _Hi…..I'm Ryan…_

… _Name's Faye…._

… _don't leave me….._

 _Not…..again…._

… _please…I…_

 **~TRB~**

He slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the light above. He looked around. He was obviously was in the Medical Wing, but he didn't recognize his surroundings.

"You're in Intensive Care."

His head turned to the source. It was Rhodes.

"Apparently they managed to fix this place up while you were gone. Just in time too."

He looked at his surroundings. He noticed the time was 8:45 in the evening.

"How long was I out?"

Rhodes sighed.

"Three days."

Ryan leaned back onto the bed.

"Fuck. Why don't I feel like I nearly died?"

"Jessica has no idea how you've healed so quickly. You had quite a lot of shrapnel in your side."

"Faye's gonna kill me. Where is she by the way?"

Rhodes chuckled.

"The day after you were brought in, she got up and left. Jessica tried to make her stay, but she refused to. Grabbed her guns, picked up her pack, and walked out."

"Any idea where she is?"

The door slammed open.

"I'm right here."

She stormed over to Ryan, grabbed his collar, and shook him fiercely.

"Why don't you listen?! I told you to get out! Do you want to die? Huh?!"

Rhodes quietly backed out of the room, and closed the door. Ryan reached up and grabbed her wrists.

"Faye! Listen to me! Please! I couldn't let him leave!"

She shot back. "So you were willing to die?"

"If it came to it."

She was quiet for a minute. Ryan had no idea what her internal argument was about, but before he could settle on one idea, she quickly straddled him.

"F-Faye? What are you do-"

All thoughts he could've had were quickly thrown out the window when her lips met his.

They stayed like that for the longest time, the only sound being the howling wind outside and the beep of the heart rate monitor. Slowly, but surely, they pulled apart. She leaned his head against his and closed her eyes.

"I can't lose you too. I already lost my parents, and my sister is nowhere to be found. You're probably the last person I have. The last thing I have to remember our old life. I just can't."

Her last word was accompanied by a sob. Ryan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against him. The words "I won't" were repeated like a mantra. They rocked back and forth, to try and calm Faye down.

He did this for another five minutes, before he heard her breathing even out. He looked down. She had fallen asleep. He smiled, and pulled the blankets over the both of them. Slowly, the two agents, now closer than ever, drifted off to sleep where they'd remember old memories, and remember when life was easier.

They both knew there was more to come. But with each other, they'd make it through.

 **~TRB~**

 **Chappie 3 down, and the fate of the two friends, now partners in more ways than one, has been sealed.**

 **Or has it?**

 **Nah, just kidding. They'll have some problems ahead, but don't worry. I know, it's pretty early, but I'm impatient, in both writing and reading.**

 **Next chappie will include the Lincoln Tunnel mission, and with that, comes the first chappie where Faye will be alongside Ryan.**

 **See ya then!**

 **-MrDerper**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Division. Ubisoft owns it.**

 **~TRB~**

Ryan's eye fluttered open. The sun had managed to find a spot between the clouds and shine through his window. He surveyed his surroundings. He was still in the same room, obviously. There was one notable addition however.

Faye was still asleep, lying next to him on his bed. Evidently, they had not moved positions at all. His arms were still around her, and she was snuggled up right up to him. He took this time to go over the events of last night.

 _I can't believe it. She did it. What does that make us though?_

He continued to ponder over this for a little while. His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. He turned towards it to see Jessica walking through. She seemed to be looking at something on her clipboard, and hadn't noticed Faye inside the room.

"Well Ryan, although I hate to admit it, you're all healed up. You can go….."

She had finally looked up, and saw Faye and Ryan, all cuddled up. She started to smile.

"Finally admitted it, eh?"

Ryan opened his mouth to reply, when he heard Faye yawn. He looked down, to see Faye's eye slowly open. She looked up and smiled.

"Morning Ryan."

She got up, her legs still surrounding his, and stretched her back. He turned to look at Jessica, and saw that she was trying to hold in her laughs.

Faye leaned back down.

"I can't wait till we're able to head out."

Jessica couldn't hold back anymore. She started to laugh. Faye's head whipped around, and her eyes widened.

"I-I can't believe you did that! It's s-so unlike you!"

Jessica managed to say those words before she lost it again.

Faye buried her head into Ryan's chest as he laughed as well.

The sound of laughter was heard throughout the base, and all who heard it perked up. It looked like there was some light in the dark world they lived in.

 **~TRB~**

Ryan zipped up his jacket. They were getting ready to go out on patrol.

 _The first of many with Fay._

He smiled at that.

She turned to see his smile.

"What's got you in such a good mood?"

His smile grew.

"Just realized that you'll finally be out there with me."

She grinned.

"It'll be just like the old days, right?"

"You and I remember the old days very differently. For one, I remember us going out to get McDonalds, not morphine supplies."

She punched his shoulder and laughed.

"You know what I mean."

He let out a long breath, and stretched. His body healed at an abnormal rate, and this would be his first patrol back.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, do you remember when we first met?"

"Why the sudden nostalgia?"

"After last night, I went over a lot of the shit we've been through."

"And?"

He stayed silent for a while, collecting his thoughts, before he spoke again.

"If you think that after all the fights we've been through, after ten whole years of being thicker than thieves, that I'm gonna leave like that. That I'm gonna leave you alone after I promised I wouldn't, then you've been meeting up with the wrong person."

She ran up to him, and pulled him into a tight hug. They rocked back and forth for a little while. The numerous JTF soldiers around watched and smiled. These sights were few and far between, and it raised their spirits to see the two agents act as a normal couple, which was quite possibly the only normality they had in their lives at the moment.

Ryan and Faye slowly pulled apart. They nodded to each other. They had work to do.

 **~TRB~**

"Come on man, hurry up!"

"Calm down, there's no one around. Now come on, help me get this shit into bags."

Ryan and Faye slowly snuck up behind the two looters. They were currently standing over a fallen civilian.

"These pricks make me sick. Killing a lone civvie for what, a watch and some food?"

Ryan replied. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Let's take them out."

Two quick shots, and the looters fell. They continued forward in their patrol, before they got a call from Rhodes.

"Hey. You remember Captain Benitez? He and his men are being overrun at the Lincoln Tunnel. Head over there, and fix it. Rhodes out."

They looked to each other, and nodded. Faye set a waypoint, and they went.

 **~TRB~**

"Hey Faye?

"Yeah?"

"What did you do after I was brought in? I know you left, but where did you go?"

She sighed sadly. "After they pushed me out of the emergency room, I was so pissed."

"At who?"

"You, the Cleaners, whoever decided to modify smallpox into a weapon, at everything."

She slowed to a walk. "I kept thinking of the worst possibilities. The JTF losing, my sister turning up dead…"

She stopped, and Ryan turned to her.

"You not making it…"

Her last statement was nothing but a whisper. Ryan had to strain his ears to hear it, and once he did, he immediately wanted to forget the desperation and sadness in her voice.

"I went around for a while, and found my old house. Stayed there for the night."

He moved closer to her, slowly shortening the distance between them.

"When I woke up, all I wanted to do was go back. But I didn't want to find out if you didn't make it. It would have destroyed me."

"And then?"

"I shot every looter and Cleaner I saw. To me, it was the closest I could do to sort of, I don't know, 'avenge' you."

"You didn't need to do that…"

She snapped back at him.

"What would you do? If I were in your position?"

He sighed and looked away.

"I'd go spare."

He heard her let out a breath.

"To me, losing you would be worse than losing the city. They made me forget everything about my old life. They told me it would be easier. You are that last link. The last thing I have to keep me grounded."

He looked up at her, and looked in her eyes.

"You're the same to me."

They stood quietly for a while, before Faye continued.

"When I was out there, I realized how much you mean to me. When I came back, I feared the worst. Jessica pointed me towards your room, and when I heard you talking to Rhodes, I was ecstatic."

"Enough to scream at me and nearly throw me off the bed?"

They shared a laugh.

"Yeah, that happy."

They stayed there for a little while, before the task at hand came back to them, and they sprinted towards the tunnel.

 **~TRB~**

Private James Horton thought he had seen it all. He had been here from the beginning of the outbreak, and he had seen many things.

So imagine the look on his face when he saw two Division Agents completely tear through the numerous rioters trying to enter the base.

"C-Captain?"

"What is it, Horton?"

"You might want to take a look at this."

Captain Benitez looked through the only window they had open, and saw the two agents.

"Looks like back-up is finally here."

He heard behind him an argument go on.

"Just two people?! Where's the rest of them, huh?!"

He turned around and yelled.

"Those 'two people' are Division agents! They're better than any of those rioters outside. Now let's give them a warm JTF welcome, huh?"

The soldiers inside roared their answer.

 **~TRB~**

Ryan had flipped over a rioter that was rushing him, when he heard the roar of gunfire erupt from the barricade the JTF base. The rioters outside were caught off guard, and were quickly dispatched.

"Agents? This is Captain Benitez, and let me tell you. You two are a sight for sore eyes!"

Ryan grinned. "No problem, Cap'n!"

Faye laughed, and they pushed into the tunnel itself.

"We've got a situation down by the gates. Those rioters brought a bomb into the tunnel, and are trying to set it up. If that bomb goes off, the tunnel floods, and we lose the only supply line we have!"

"Got it!"

They arrived at the end of the tunnel, to see two rioters planting the bomb.

"Quick man! We gotta go!"

"Alright, alright! I'm almost do-"

They were cut off by the bullets entering their brains. They were both taken out cleanly. Ryan reported it to the Captain.

"Hey Cap? The guys are dead, but the bomb is armed. Do you have someone who can defuse bombs by any chance?"

"I'm sending her out now. You've got a lot of rioters on the way. Defend her while she defuses it!"

They saw a JTF soldier run out of the hall to their right.

"Should be two minutes, cover me!"

"Got it! Faye, cover the left side, I got the right!"

They could hear the wave of people heading towards them, and the bunkered down. Ryan saw them appear.

They opened fire.

A few were taken out immediately, while the rest ran for cover. He saw Faye throw a grenade from the corner of his eye and watched as it landed next to a car. It exploded, making several rioters go flying.

He kept firing.

"One minute!"

He turned to look at Faye, only to see a man with a baseball bat about to swing. He spun towards him, and fired a bullet directly into his brain. Faye turned to see the man fall.

"Thanks for the assist!"

Ryan sent her a thumbs up.

"Captain! We're getting pushed back! We need some back up!"

Ryan and Faye retreated a few feet, closer to the hallway. They heard the stomping of boots, and saw half a dozen soldiers file out.

"Thirty seconds!"

 _Just a little while longer!_

"Faye! Need some ammo!"

She tossed a magazine over to him.

"Last mag! Make it count!"

He slammed the magazine in, and sprayed towards the oncoming wave.

"Ten seconds!"

 _Ten…_

"Ryan! I'm down to my pistol!"

 _Nine…_

"Shit! Ramirez is down!"

 _Eight…_

"Push forward guys! Those JTF are on their last legs."

 _Seven…_

"Faye! Get back!"

 _Six…_

"Come on! Just a little while longer!"

 _Five…_

"Grenade!"

 _Four…_

Ryan threw the grenade back.

 _Three…_

It detonated in the air, sending shrapnel everywhere.

 _Two…_

Ryan gritted his teeth as shrapnel grazed his shoulder.

 _One…_

"RYAN!"

He looked to see a bat swing into his arm. He felt his arm buckle and nearly break.

"Bomb defused! Retreat!"

Faye rushed the rioter and placed a couple bullets into his chest. She took Ryan's arm and helped him back into the hallway. The remaining rioters retreated back, and they made it to the base safely.

"How's the arm?"

Ryan gritted his teeth.

"It's not broken, but I can't move it too well. Feels like someone Charlie Horsed my arm."

She laughed. "You'll be fine in a minute. Come on. Benitez wants to see us."

They walked towards the Captain.

"Damn good fighting, agents. Wish I had people as good as you."

Ryan waved his working arm.

"These men are great. We wouldn't have made it without them."

"Well, rest up. I've got an announcement to make in five minutes."

Faye tugged at Ryan's arm, and led him towards one of the benches. They sat down, and relaxed for a little while. Faye placed her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You all set up?"

She nodded. "Grabbed enough ammo for both of us."

He sighed.

"Want to just take a few days off after this? God knows we all deserve one."

"I'd like that. We'll see though. This city never sleeps."

"Good point."

She shifted in her spot.

"Give me your arm, real quick."

Ryan gave her his unusable arm, and she started to massage it.

"Oh god, that feels good. Where'd you learn to do this?"

She smiled.

"My sister decided to take a course for it when we were in high school. She taught me."

"Why?"

"Probably because she really wanted us to get together and she thought that me massaging you would make you ask me out."

He chuckled at that. Amanda was all for Faye getting together with Ryan ever since the day they met, more so than Jessica when she found out.

"You remember that bully in Grade 10?"

"Alex?"

He nodded. Alex was, in Amanda's words, a 'failed science experiment that gained conscience.' He was also Faye's ex.

"Whenever you were out while I was with Amanda, she would rant at me about how I should just sweep you off your feet while Alex was around."

"Why didn't you?"

"Well, you seemed happy with him. Also, I'm much too nice for my own good."

"You really are, Mr. Canadian."

He rose an eyebrow at that nickname. She giggled as soon as she saw.

"Then you found about what happened."

He nodded quietly. Turns out, Alex had a short fuse, and had punched Faye after a date.

"I was so angry. All I saw was red when I saw him."

"Did you really need to break his collarbone, though?"

"Hell yeah, I did. The guy deserved way more."

She let go of his arm and looked into his eye.

"It was a shock to everyone when you did."

He smirked at that.

"I'm quiet, and you know what they say."

"It's always the quiet ones."

They sat quietly for a little while, the only sounds being the soldiers around them conversing.

"You know Faye, now that I think about it, I've had a crush on you for the longest time."

"Must have been my charm."

He smiled at that.

"I was never the type of kid to work hard until I met you. Something about you made me want to do my best."

"Trying to impress me, maybe?"

"You say that as if it's a joke."

She laughed heartily. As she calmed down, she held his hand.

"I was always drawn to you when we were younger. Back then, I already knew about the Division. I was already training when I met you."

"I know. You were faster and stronger than kids our age."

"I was training my whole life, and for some reason, when I met you, I ignored everything they told me and I became connected to you."

She squeezed his hand tight.

"I still trained, but you were what came first in my mind. I still don't know why."

She turned to look into his eye. She rubbed a finger over his eyepatch.

"When I found out you were still alive, and in the Division as well, my heart jumped. When I didn't hear anything from you, I thought you were a victim of the Green Virus."

Ryan looked ahead.

"I remember when I saw you at base for the first time, back in Brooklyn, all I wanted to do was run to you."

Ryan picked up from here.

"They separated us for a while. My squadron got split up really quickly, and then I ran into you on the streets. I couldn't believe it was you."

Her face held a small smile.

"Look at us now. Could you have imagined us being like this when you first deployed?"

His head shook in the negative. His only reply was to bring his face closer to hers, and they brought themselves into a kiss.

It brought many emotions to each other, with happiness and love being the biggest ones. They stayed like that, until they were interrupted by Captain Benitez saying something.

"…got two Division agents with us. With those two, we'll be able to get the hell out of here."

"What's the bad news?"

 **BOOM!**

They all ducked as the barricade was destroyed, and two rioters filtered in.

"That's the bad news!"

Ryan and Faye flew up from where they were sitting. Ryan's gun flew to his hands, and he opened fire. Two bullets flashed out and impacted the two rioters. Faye and Ryan moved forward as one, and the pushed through the newly formed hole.

"FAYE!"

He grabbed her collar, and pulled her back in time to see a bullet impact behind where her head just was. They ducked behind cover, and they hid from the oncoming fire.

"Thanks for the save!"

She was barely heard over the gunfire, but she got a nod in response. They saw the JTF push through the rioters, with the JTF effectively making a wall with multiple picked up shields. The rioters retreated towards the abandoned checkpoint, when Ryan spotted a glint of light in the distance.

"Sniper! Get your heads down!"

He saw a bullet pass clean through a JTF soldier, with her falling to the ground, lifelessly.

"We have to take that guy out, before it's too late!"

Ryan nodded at that.

 _Shit, how are we supposed to take him out…._

His head perked up. They had taken out a few snipers earlier that day. On top of the checkpoint. He turned to Faye.

"Distract them! I got to get up there!"

Her only response was to toss a grenade towards the rioters. With them panicking and running away from the grenade, Ryan pushed forward. He climbed up the ladder, and he hoped that the guns were still there…

They were!

H e grabbed the nearest one, and pointed it towards the direction of the sniper. He fired a shot towards him.

T he bullet impacted next to the sniper, alerting him about Ryan. The sniper quickly moved positions, with two bullets impacting behind him.

R yan fired towards him again, just barely missing.

 _Fuck. Last bullet. Here we go. One bullet and a dream._

He sucked in his breath, and held it. Time seemed to slow, and all other noise was blocked from his senses. He aimed, and fired.

He saw a blood spray hit the car behind the sniper's head, and watched as he slumped to the road. With the sniper dead, the JTF pushed forward and took out the remaining rioters. Ryan heard someone climbing the ladder behind him, and turned to see Faye lift herself up. He slumped down, and sat against one of the barriers.

"Fuck, I'm so goddamn sore."

She laughed.

"Is that really what you're gonna say now?"

"Hell yeah! I'm tired as all hell."

She help her hand out.

"Well, then get up. Benitez wants to talk to us. After that, it's back to base."

He took her hand, and she pulled him up. He looked towards the sniper rifle in his hand.

"You know, I think I'll keep this."

"You did well with it. Even if you only have one working eye."

"You have the same problem!"

When the Captain walked up, the first thing he heard was Faye laughter and Ryan yelling out, "It's not my fault I broke his collarbone! Well, it kinda is, but that's not the point!"

It was amazing to see the two go from trained killers to a normal couple. He cleared his throat, and saw them both turn towards him.

"You did a hell of a job today, you two. I have no doubt that we would have lost our supply line without you guys."

Ryan scratched the back of his head.

"No problem, Captain. It's our job to help in any way we can."

He nodded his head. "I'm going to head back to base. I'll leave some men here to clean up. I'll see you there."

With that, he turned and walked away. Ryan looked at Faye, and they started walking away from the Lincoln Tunnel.

 **~TRB~**

Ryan let out a breath as he sat down on one of the many benches that littered the base. He closed his eyes and leaned against his hands. He felt Faye sit down next to him. She sighed.

"Today was a long day, wasn't it?"

He nodded, and leaned on Faye. He felt her arm wrap around his shoulders.

"I'm just so tired of it all, to be honest."

She turned to him.

"What do you mean?"

"The killing. Too many people have died. I lead a whole squadron to their deaths."

"Hey, I thought I told you-"

"I know, it's not my fault. But I can't help but feel like shit."

He looked off into the distance, and Faye saw the haunted look in his eyes.

"This is hell. It feels like we've been dropped into a war with no way out."

His eyes started to water, and he gritted his teeth.

"I just want this this to end, and I know I'm not the only person who thinks this."

Faye wrapped her arms around Ryan, and she felt a wetness on her shoulder. She thought to herself quietly.

 _I've been training my whole life for this, ready to take on anyone I ran into here. But Ryan… he just got drafted for this. He can't keep going on like this by himself._

At that moment, she had decided. To stay partners through it all. Through the Division, through New York, and to stay as partners after all of this ended. She hugged him tighter, and after a while, he finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry. Not the kind of behaviour expected from a Division agent."

She just smiled.

"You're only human. We all are. No one can hide it forever."

He nodded. He took her hand, and led her to an empty bed. Together, they laid down.

"I think we should take it easy for a while. I really don't want to do too much for a little while."

She nodded, and they both drifted off to sleep.

 **~TRB~**

"Listen man, you don't have to do this!"

 ***BANG***

"The Division left us for dead. If you want to live, then join up. If not, well then I'm not opposed to killing another person."

Aaron Keener laughed. Being part of the First Wave certainly had its perks. Being able to push around other agents? Definitely one. He walked away, as the LMB cleaned up any trace of them being there.

It was going to be a long winter stuck in Manhattan, and Keener was going to make the best of it.

 **~TRB~**

 **Done! And we got our antagonist in play. So final word count is about 3.7k words, which is the most I've ever had. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **See you guys in the next one!**

 **-MrDerper**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Division**

 **Hey guys! Sorry this took a long time. I've been playing too much Destiny, and I kinda hit a wall with this. This is a side chapter, with the many side missions bringing a lot more content.**

 **On the topic of Destiny, I've been itching to write a story for it, but I want to hear your opinions on it. Of course, this and my other story will take point before it, but I really want to do it.**

 **WARNING: This chapter has mention of attempted rape. Know that I absolutely hate the act, and anyone who does it should go to the Seventh Layer of Hell.**

 **Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

 **~TRB~**

"Are you sure you're gonna hit it?"

"I'm sure Faye."

"Looks hard…"

"Are you kidding? It's a piece of cake!"

Ryan looked forward, and swung his arm. The entire room was silent, save for the heater. The ball moved towards the two pins, before…

"HE GOT IT!"

Screams and cheers flew around.

"How do you keep getting that damn 3-7 split?!"

Ryan laughed and shook his head.

"It's all about the spin, Faye."

The two had taken a break from patrols. With many JTF soldiers being all healed up, they weren't needed to constantly patrol like they did for the first few weeks.

With morale being at an all-time high, and with all of the facilities in the base up and running, it seemed like the tide was turning. Rioters were wary, and citizens weren't as scared as they used to be.

"As fun as this was, I think I'm gonna go on patrol. Want to tag along?"

Faye nodded.

"Go on ahead, I'll meet up with you."

He nodded, and got his things. He nearly stepped out of the base, when a JTF officer ran up to him.

"Hey Agent! I've got a missing person report."

He handed the report over to Ryan, and froze as soon as he saw the name.

Amanda Lau.

 _I thought she was at the refugee camp…_

"She's one of the people unaccounted for after the attack at the refugee camp."

He looked up.

"Yeah, it was attacked while you were recovering. We can't find her anywhere."

His task set, he quickly ran to the camp, in search of the person he considered to be his sister.

 **~TRB~**

 **ECHO nearby! Constructing data…Complete!**

Ryan paced around the digital crime scene. He heard the strumming of a guitar.

 _Must be Amanda. And there she is._

He sat near where her ECHO was sitting, and a few seconds passed. He heard her say how she left something back at her apartment, and that if she didn't have it, Faye was gonna kill her.

 _Amanda, she could care less about that goddamn thing…_

He quickly scanned his memory, trying to remember where her apartment was. It was nearby, and he quickly ran towards it.

"Hey! There's one by himself!"

 _I don't want to deal with you right now!_

He shot out twice, leaving the looters dead instantly. He kept running.

 _That's gotta be a couple days old. She could be huddled up inside the apartment…_

He arrived in front, and he noticed the pair of keys still in the lock.

 _She was here somewhat recently…_

"Hey you, stop!"

He heard a voice come from an alleyway.

 _That's right behind the apartment!_

He turned to his left, and ran down.

"Stop running, bitch!"

He looked, and saw a rioter climb through on of the windows.

 _That's her floor…_

His rage went through the roof, and he looked towards the two rioters waiting under the fire escape. He tossed a flashbang towards them, covering his eye. He heard it go off, and his hearing escaped him. He uncovered his eyes and slowly lifted his pistol. He could faintly hear the two rioters yelling.

"FUCK, I CAN'T SEE!"

"I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!"

He fired twice, and he saw the two rioters drop, blood quickly pooling below their bodies.

He quickly climbed up the fire escape, and ran through the halls.

"Stay still, you bitch! This is the only kind of pleasure you're gonna get in this hell!"

He could hear Amanda screaming through the door, and his vision turned red. He kicked open the door.

"Shit, what the fuck?!"

He fired is pistol twice, hitting both of his legs. The rioter fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He turned to where Amanda was, only to get tackled in a hug. He could feel her tears stain his jacket, and he could feel her shake and sob.

"T-thank you! Thank you so much!"

She looked up, and her eyes widened.

"R-Ryan!?"

He smiled despite the situation that they were in.

"Yours truly."

The smile melted off his face. He turned to the rioter, who was slowly trying to crawl away.

"Amanda, go to the other room. Get the radio and get on frequency ninety four point five. That's Faye's personal frequency. Shut your ears, and listen to whatever Faye says."

She nodded, and quickly rushed out of the room. She grabbed her radio, and set the frequency.

"H-Hello?"

There was a few moments of silence, before a reply came through.

"Amanda?! Is that you?"

"Yeah, Faye. I-it's me. Listen, I'm in my apartment. I nearly had a run in with a couple of rioters."

"Are you alright?!"

A scream was heard, along with some shelves being knocked over.

"What the hell was that?!"

Amanda grimaced at the noise.

"Ryan. Some rioter tried to…you know. He burst in before he could do anything. He was so angry Faye. I've never seen him with the look on his face."

It was quiet, before Faye replied.

"Alright. I'm on my way. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Amanda shut her eyes, and put her hands over her ears. She heard three more gunshots, and it was quiet. It was quiet for a little while longer, before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Ryan, a look a worry on his face. He had blood staining his jacket, and he had a few cuts on his hands.

"You alright?"

Amanda was shocked at the change. He went from a trained killer, to a worried friend, no brother, in a few seconds. She nodded, and caught him in a hug. He staggered back, before hugging her back. They heard footsteps come from the hallway, and saw Faye leading a JTF squad into the apartment.

"Amanda!"

Faye rushed towards the two, and Ryan stepped back. Faye and Amanda fell towards a nearby couch, and spent the next few minutes taking quietly to one another.

"Jesus, what the hell happened in here?!"

Ryan sighed, and went to the other room. When he entered, he saw a JTF officer holding her hand to her mouth. The sight was not a good one. The rioter laid in the middle of the room, with shelves broken throughout the room. Blood pooled underneath the body, and there was a bullet hole in each of his arms and legs. The final bullet was placed in the center of his head.

"He tried to do something to her. Something I wasn't gonna leave unpunished."

The officer turned to him.

 _Jameson, huh?_

Jameson had a look on her face. It seemed like one of fear, before what he said sunk in. She gained a look of anger, before nodding.

"I understand."

He sighed, before he felt someone grab his arm and drag him out.

"Whoa, hey!"

He was thrown against the wall in the hall, grunting when he impacted against it.

"What the he-!"

His mouth was covered, and he realized who had dragged him out.

 _Faye…_

She kissed him hard, pushing him against the wall. She pulled away.

"She told me what that bastard was gonna do."

She hugged him tightly.

"If you were even a few minutes late, I don't think she'd be the same person I knew."

He nodded, before looking up. Amanda stood in the doorway, with a smile on her face.

"Finally got your head outta your ass, eh?

He chuckled, before nodding.

"We're gonna be your escorts back to base. Wanna grab anything in there?"

Amanda thought quietly, before running back inside. She came back out with a guitar case.

"Just this. I have a feeling there isn't much music over there."

Faye grinned.

"That's gonna change."

 **~TRB~**

"Lights are going out!"

Many of the refugees inside the base were headed off to sleep. Ryan and Faye sat quietly on the roof, looking out onto the silent streets. They had watch duty for the night. JTF patrols were switching out for night, and laughter could be heard inside.

 _I haven't heard that much laughter in a long time._

"You know, if I told you a year ago that you'd be drinking, the first thing you'd say is 'Well that's illegal.'"

He laughed, before taking another swig.

"Well, I mean it was. I don't think me drinking a little early matters now."

She cuddled up against him.

"It's gonna be a long night."

He wrapped his arm around her.

"Well, I have you to keep me entertained."

"And me."

They turned and saw Amanda appear from the stairwell. She held her guitar in one hand, and held a beer in another.

"Got any space for a third?"

Ryan smiled.

"Pull up a chair. We've got quite the watch ahead of us."

 **~TRB~**

 **Aaaaaand we're done! Side missions like this will be shorter, so when I do another chapter like this, don't expect too much.**

 **See ya!**

 **-MrDerper**


End file.
